Greek Orthodox Archdiocese
of America

Greek Orthodox Christians established communities and worshipped in North America from the early settlers in 1768 near St. Augustine, FL (St. Photios Shrine) and in 1864 near New Orleans, LA. The first Greek Orthodox parishes in North America were under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, which had over the centuries assumed responsibility for the diaspora communities and assigned to them their priests.

As the Greek Orthodox needs grew in North America, the needs for synodal leadership and organization were deteremined. The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America was incorporated in 1921. In 1996, the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate established three new metropolitanates, Toronto, Buenos Aires and Mexico, each having specific areas of jurisdiction. The Holy Synod's new metropolitantates also resulted in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.